If you’ve been investing for a while, you’re probably already juggling between a few platforms—some offer low fees, others give great charting tools, but very few give you the best of everything. And let’s be honest, the average investor here in Singapore just wants:
- Low fees (ideally zero)
- Fast executions
- Access to Singapore and global markets
- Tools that simplify, not complicate, decision-making
- Features that suit our actual time zones
And if you invest in the US markets, you’d know the last one is almost impossible for us in Singapore.
For years, I’ve accepted the fact that I had to stay up late if I wanted to ride and profit from the US market’s growth and volatility.
Not anymore.
Juggling parenting, your sleep and the US markets
Many people have asked me whether I trade options – especially since my portfolio is now fairly sizeable and allows for various option strategies that can be employed safely on the stocks I already own. The problem is, when you’re a parent with a kid in primary school who needs to get up at 6am everyday, trading options becomes even more painful because of how it wrecks your sleep cycles.
The most liquid options markets in the world is the US, and US options trade in US hours i.e. 9:30 am – 4pm Eastern Time, which translates into 9.30pm – 4am Singapore time. And when daylight savings kick in during the winter months (like now)? This becomes 10.30pm – 5am Singapore time.
That used to be manageable… until my son started Primary 1 last year.
Anyone with school-going kids will get it: you need to be up at 6am. But if you’re staying up till 2am or later trying to catch the US market open, your sleep — and health — takes a beating.
As someone who also can’t fall asleep until my trades are filled, it’s been a struggle for over a year now.
So when I found out that a Singapore broker had solved this problem?
I was all ears.
A World-First: Pre-market US options trading during Singapore evening hours
Enter Longbridge — a MAS-licensed broker that has been rapidly expanding in Asia.
They’re the first in the world to launch live pre-market US options trading, available from 5pm to 10:30pm (SGT). Yes, you read that right — options trading during our evening hours!
Many people haven’t realised that there’s a digital brokerage that has managed to pass the required regulatory requirements, but also ticks all of the above boxes and more. Not only has this brokerage successfully cleared the regulatory hurdles in Singapore, they also hold 22 regulatory licenses across different countries and markets – an attestation of their regulatory compliance and safety features. What’s more, they’ve been growing fast – doubling in user assets within last year alone, having processed over 55 million orders and hitting US$1 trillion in nominal order value in 2025.
This is none other than Longbridge, a name that might be new to most Singaporean investors but is anything but in Hong Kong, as the fastest-growing digital brokerage there.
For the first time ever, investors like you and me can now do pre-market options.
You need to understand how groundbreaking this is, because it is a world’s first.
Aside from saving our sleep, Longbridge’s pre-market options access means we can react to earnings reports or economic news immediately, and adjust our positions or hedge risk before the US market opens.
This feature alone makes Longbridge a standout for investors based in Asia.
What you should know about Longbridge
Are there any downsides to using Longbridge? Yes, of course – no brokerage is perfect. Here’s what you should know.
When it comes to product variety, Longbridge is limited as it focuses purely on stocks and options. Unlike some other platforms, you won’t find crypto, CFDs or unit trusts here. This is fine if you’re only trading stocks and options anyway, but if you’re a more technical investor who trades other financial instruments as well, you may want to take note of this limitation.
As of right now, Longbridge is also the lowest-fee digital brokerage in Singapore as they offer lifetime zero commissions^ for US, HK and SG stocks (and not just for your first year). However, be mindful that any edge in fees can be adjusted quickly, and I won’t rule out the possibility that other players might soon offer the same if they start to see too many of their users switching over to Longbridge.
Which is why after having watched them for the past year, I see Longbridge as a seasoned player whom I expect to disrupt the digital brokerage scene and keep their competitors on their toes. As this plays out, retail investors like us can only benefit with lower fees and more user perks designed to keep us staying.
While the Longbridge name is still fairly new in our scene, its management team is anything but. Co-founded by seasoned professionals from finance and technology who previously held roles at Alibaba Cloud, ByteDance and Phillip Securities (POEMS), Longbridge was seeded by Alibaba and Didi co-founders before they broke onto the scene. Longbridge then went on to raise over USD 150 million in funding from leading financial institutions including PhillipCapital, and secured their regulatory licenses beforeopening its doors to the public for the first time October 2021 (in Hong Kong).
How to use Longbridge’s pre-market options feature
Instead of having to stay up and trade between 9.30/10.30pm – 5am, you can now trade your options between 5pm – 10.30pm after work instead.
Another benefit of this is that you can now react to overnight news, earnings, and global events immediately, instead of having to wait for the market to open and worrying that you’ll miss your opportunity when option premiums shoot up (or down – depending on which direction you’re trading).
So if you’re an investor based in Singapore who has been struggling to trade options because of the owl-like timings, you can ditch that behind you now by using Longbridge.
| Feature | Longbridge | Competitors i.e. other brokerages |
| Pre-Market Options | YES (World First) | No |
| Fee Promotion | $0 Commissions†^ and $0 Fees for pre-market trades* | Standard fees apply |
†Additional charges may apply, such as fees payable to FINRA for trading activity fees, option regulatory fees to the exchanges, option settlement fees or third-party charges for exercised options, among others. For more information, please refer to Longbridge’s full pricing breakdown here.
More Than Just Options — What Longbridge Gets Right
Beyond options, here’s what else stood out to me:
· Zero-Commissions: across SG, US, and HK Stocks. We’re talking about lifetime zero commissions^, not just a 12-month promotion.
· A technologically-advanced platform: having tried them out for myself, I can now see why Longbridge won so many fintech awards in such a short period of time. The app truly stands out for its user interface and mobile-first, tech-led features.
Is Longbridge safe to use?
Long Bridge Securities Pte. Ltd. is regulated and licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Securities and Futures Act (License No. CMS101211). Today, Longbridge holds 22 financial regulatory licenses or qualifications across regions, including the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.
Historically, licensed brokerages rarely collapse overnight. The worst-case scenario would probably be a sale or acquisition, where the brokerage and its licenses are sold to another firm instead. For investors, this doesn’t mean your funds and holdings will go up in smoke – instead, you’d typically be notified in advance to withdraw funds or consent to a portfolio transfer.
So if you’re losing sleep over the safety of your funds and holdings, you can breathe easy now.
On top of its licenses, Longbridge has won several notable industry awards last year that are a recognition to its innovative technological breakthroughs that is disrupting the finance industry:
- FinTech Innovation Award – Singapore (Asian Banking & Finance (ABF) FinTech Awards 2025)
- Investment Tech of the Year (Investment Tech of the Year)
- Financial Services Awards 2025 – Outstanding AI FinTech Brokerage (EDigest 2025: Best Technology Innovation Broker, HKE)
- Hong Kong 01 FinTech Leadership Awards 2025 – AI Brokerage Platform
This isn’t surprising when you consider how Longbridge is investing heavily in its tech stack and trading efficiency. In last year alone, both its desktop and mobile applications underwent more than 16 updates as it introduced and optimized more than 110 features across multiple trading scenarios – including multi-leg options strategies, U.S. fractional shares and U.S. stocks recurring investments.
Conclusion: Is Longbridge Worth Using?
Yes. Especially if you’re a Singapore-based investor who wants lower fees and more convenient trading hours.
Longbridge isn’t just another new broker on the scene. We’ve seen many come into the Singapore market, but Longbridge is one of the newest entrants where they’ve actually innovated where it matters.
For me, the pre-market options feature alone is a big win. Add lifetime zero-commission trading across global markets, and it is hard not to take notice.
So if you’ve been losing sleep — literally — trying to trade US options, it might be time to switch.
I expect that once the Longbridge name starts to gain more traction in the Singapore market, these sign-up incentives won’t be as generous as they are today anymore. There’d be less reason to, by then, when the name and technology speaks for itself.
So before that happens, you’d want to open your Longbridge account today while they’re being incredibly generous with sign-up gifts.
How to get rewards worth up to SG$1,370* from Longbridge
Don’t have a Longbridge account yet?
Lucky you! Simply sign up here and choose which tier of rewards you’d like to receive.
To claim exclusive rewards as a reader of this blog, enter promo code BUDGBABE upon your signup.
For instance, if you’ve chosen Tier 1, simply deposit S$2,000 upon your account and complete 3 buy trades to receive S$40 NVDA + S$40 AAPL shares!
As an example, let’s say you believe that Nvidia’s share price will continue to rise and you set 3 orders to buy 0.1 share ($19.20) each. This would already have met the 3 buy trade criteria!
Make sure you maintain your deposit for at least 90 days – the easiest way is to avoid withdrawing during this period. For me, I used my money to purchase shares of what I wanted, and put the rest of my deposit into their Cash Plus to enjoy an interest boost. This helped me to be eligible for the following bonuses:
- Lifetime $0 commission for US, HK & SG stocks
- Limited-time $0 commission# for US options (Valid until further notice)
- $0 platform fees* for US, HK & SG stocks (Valid for 90 days upon issuance of the platform fee coupons)
- Up to USD 100 (≈SGD120) Option Cash Coupons*（Applicable only to US option buy trades）
- Exclusive：5% p.a. Interest Boost Coupon on SGD 2,000 for 365 days.
- A sure-win red packet, with a grand prize of up to SGD 888* cash coupon.
*Terms and Conditions apply.
^Other fees apply.
#Limited-time offer. Platform fees apply.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post brought to you in collaboration with Longbridge. All opinions are that of my own as a user of Longbridge.
Always remember that your investing returns are not guaranteed, and options trading involves risk.
Disclaimer:
This post is a paid partnership with Longbridge Singapore. It is intended for general awareness and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or otherwise engage with any investment products or financial services.
The presenter is not a licensed financial adviser and is not offering financial advice. All views expressed are solely those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect the view of Longbridge Singapore.
All investments carry risks, may not be suitable for everyone, and you may lose your investment principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You should seek independent financial advice if you are unsure about any investment decisions. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
